Antidepressants And Their Side Effects

Antidepressant medications can often help depression sufferers. However, they do have side effects and some can be dangerous. Before starting any antidepressant medication, it is a good idea to consult with your doctor so you can weigh the benefits and the risks. Sometimes antidepressant meds are not the solution because of the side effects.

Depression is most often caused by lower levels of serotonin in the brain. Antidepressants raise these levels back to their state of normalcy. While it is true that there are many studies that contradict the theory of depression being caused by a chemical imbalance, they have yet to figure out exactly what is the cause.

Serotonin levels cannot be measured, so researchers do not know what a normal level is. All they know is that something causes the serotonin levels to decrease and there are drugs to reverse this. Some studies have shown that moods and depression do not always worsen when the individuals serotonin levels are reduced. Also in question is the fact that antidepressants take several weeks to start having an effect, yet it only takes a few hours for the same medications to raise serotonin levels. It would make sense that a depressed person should feel better in a few hours, not a few weeks.

Researchers are starting to realize that depression involves more than a chemical imbalance in the brain. While lower serotonin levels appear to be one of the causes, they are also finding that elevated stress levels, inflammation, nutritional deficiencies, shrinking brain cells, suppressing immune systems and abnormal activity in the brain are surfacing as causes. There are also many psychological and social factors that have an effect as well.

Antidepressant medication has proven to be effective when treating depression. It has also shown to cause side effects in approximately 50% of the people that take them. Medication should only be prescrib3ed when the symptoms of depression are severe. In most cases of mild depression, exercise, changes to diet, and therapy can work just as effectively.

The most prescribed types of antidepressants are called selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRI). These medications are commonly known as Prozac, Zoloft, Paxil, Celexa, Luvox, and Lexapro. SSRIs are responsible for increasing serotonin levels in the brain.

Serotonin is responsible for regulating mood and helps with pain, sleep, digestion, and mental clarity. Due to these roles, SSRIs come with a large range of side effects such as nausea, anxiety, insomnia, decreased sex drive, sweating, sleepiness, dizziness, dry mouth, headaches, and weight gain/loss. The most common of these side effects are lowered sex drive, sleepiness, insomnia, and nausea. These side effects usually go away within a few weeks. Sometimes though, they remain and even can get worse.

Some of the newer drugs on the market such as Wellbutrin and Effexor are called atypical antidepressants because they affect other neurotransmitters as well as serotonin. The side effects of these drugs are less severe and include nausea, fatigue, weight gain, nervousness, and dry mouth.

Regardless of which medication path the doctor prescribes, always weigh the benefits against the risks to make sure the chosen medication is right for you.

Antidepressant Withdrawal Suicide Risk

Antidepressants are commonly prescribed to treat depression and anxiety. They are usually prescribed for long periods of time, months and sometimes years. It is possible to stop taking them; however weaning yourself off can be difficult. It is essential that you have your doctors permission and know what the withdrawal effects are.

The weaning process must be done slowly. If you suddenly stop taking them, then the withdrawal effects can be severe. You can experiences effects like restlessness, dizziness, irritability, tiredness, nausea, muscle spasms, and crying spells.

These are all known as Antidepressant Discontinuation Syndrome. This is found more often when antidepressants like Prozac and Zoloft are discontinued, but it is possible with all antidepressant medications.

You have to be cautious when weaning yourself off these medications. It is easy to relapse into the very depression or anxiety the doctor was trying to help you with. If depression becomes a withdrawal symptom, it can be worse than the original case. The only way to fix this is to go back on the medication. This creates a vicious circle. The best way to avoid antidepressant withdrawal symptoms is to gradually taper the doses until you are off them completely. This process can take a couple of months but is more likely to work. This should always be done under doctors supervision.

Since the effects of antidepressant medications are not fully understood, there is always a chance that the medications can increases the effects of the persons depression. Increased effects of depression can lead to thoughts of suicide. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration enforce the regulation that all antidepressant medication containers include a warning label of the possible risk of suicide. It is increasingly possible in children and young adults. The first couple of months hold the greatest potential for this effect.

It has been proven that the withdrawal symptoms from antidepressants such as Prozac, Zoloft, Paxil, Luvox, and Celexa are more likely to result in thoughts of suicide than the other such medications in children and young adults. Young adults are more susceptible to suicidal, violent, and invincibility thoughts due to their age. The above mentioned medications can elevate the risks of these types of thoughts. The reason for this is these antidepressants, also called selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, have an almost addictive quality. Their withdrawal symptoms are far more severe than other antidepressant medications. Thus making young adults more likely to revert back into a depression and possibly even sink deeper into it.

It is important that individuals taking antidepressants be closely monitored for possible thoughts and behaviors relating to suicide. This is important if the person on the antidepressants has had their dosage changed recently or it is their first time on the medication. The risk of suicide is elevated for these individuals.

Symptoms to recognize if the person becomes suicidal include aggression, anger, acting dangerously, irritability, suicidal thoughts, and difficulty sleeping. IF you know someone or you yourself are experiencing any of these symptoms, you must contact your therapist or doctor immediately.

Alcohol Abuse And Depression

Research has shown that up to ten percent of depressed people also abuse alcohol. Many people abuse alcohol when depressed because it makes the sad feelings go away. However this is only a temporary fix. People abusing alcohol think they are treating their depression when in fact large amounts of alcohol can actually worsen the illness.

Depressed people do not realize that the more times they drink alcohol, the more they are increasing their tolerance levels to alcohol. This then requires even more alcohol to induce the same feelings of relative happiness that the first few drinks used to achieve. This is how alcohol can become addictive and gets to the abuse stage.

Unfortunately both depression and alcohol abuse are more common than ever before. While 10% of depressed people also abuse alcohol, up to 40% of alcohol abusers show signs of depression. These numbers are growing every day. These numbers keep growing as more and more people become addicted to alcohol and/ or become depressed due to the increasing levels of stress in todays world.

Often the symptoms of alcohol abuse and depression can be interchanged. Both illnesses show changes in behavior such as becoming increasingly impulsive, increasing acts of violence and aggression, increasing isolating tendencies, and impaired judgment. Both illnesses can lead to problems in the marriage and result in the breakdown of the family. One must also be concerned with the fact that depressed people are more likely to cause accidents within the home. There is also an increased link between alcohol abuse, depression and suicide. This is really a cause for concern for these individuals.

Research also indicates that the abuse of alcohol can be genetic. Children of alcoholic parents are much more likely to suffer from alcoholism themselves. Their alcohol tolerance levels are much higher than the average child the same age. The same research indicates that alcohol abuse affects chemicals in the brain. These chemicals affect the way the brain processes information. Depression is also immediately inherited from parents to child, as well as from relatives.

Trying to determine if an individual is depressed, abusing alcohol or both is difficult. Many of the symptoms are the same for each illness. Insomnia, waking up frequently, poor appetite, sleepiness, and feelings of disorientation are symptoms of both illnesses. To complicate the situation, many people who abuse alcohol become depressed over time. Doctors will first treat the alcoholism and see if the persons mood improves; if it does not then they will treat the depression.

Alcohol is in a set of drugs known as sedative hypnotics. Other drugs in this category are tranquilizers. Many depressed people, especially young adults, abuse other drugs as well as alcohol. Some of the antidepressant medications on the market today also contain a sedative. Thus if combined with alcohol, the person becomes severely sedated and can even stop breathing.

The danger of combining alcohol with drug treatment for depression is one doctors know well. This is why they tend to treat the alcoholism before the depression.

Where Can I Find Natural Remedy For Dry Skin –

Where Can I Find Natural Remedy For Dry Skin – Home Remedies For Dry Skin

When you are dealing with a facial skin dryness problem, dry home remedy skin can be a good idea to keep your dry skin in check. Here is a look at some of the home remedies that you can use when you are asking yourself “Where Can I Find Natural Remedy for Dry Skin?”

– * When you are dealing with dry skin on your face, you should try to massage the face using either olive oil or almond oil. Do this every night just before you go to bed. These oils can also be used when massaging other parts of the body to treat dryness in the skin. This is an excellent home remedy for dry skin treatment.

– * One of the best dry skin cleansing methods is to soak the face in room temperature water for about 10 minutes. It is better for you to avoid using warm water on your face during the winter months. This is a simple and straight forward type of dry skin treatment.

– * Another dry skin treatment is to prepare a salve mixture with a single egg yolk, a teaspoon worth of orange juice, a teaspoon worth of olive oil, a couple of drops worth of rose water and a couple of drops worth of lime juice. Once this mixture has been put together, mix it well and then apply it to your face first thing in the morning before you take a bath. Wear it on your face for approximately fifteen minutes. This is a simple but effective home remedy for treating dry skin.

– * Another excellent home remedy is to mash up a really ripe banana, applying it to your face and your neck. You can leave it for a period of time, while you relax and read a magazine or something, and then use lukewarm water to wash it off. This is a really good cure for dry skin.

– * When you are dealing with facial dry skin that has caused your lips to become dry or chapped, try massaging your lips using a little bit of cream of milk. You want to add a little bit of lime juice and rose water in order to get the full effect, and use this concoction just before you go to bed every night.

– * Another effective method for dealing with dry skin is to massage the skin using pure grapeseed oil. Adding healthy oils to the body is a great way for you to remedy dry skin inexpensively and easily.

You can combine different methods for dealing with dry skin as needed until you remedy the problem. There are a number of different natural ways for you to answer the question “Where Can I Find Natural Remedy for Dry Skin?”. If one of these methods does not work for you, simply move onto another method until you find the one that best suits you.